Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Orientation for the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Grantees
Last week, the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission organized the in-country Orientation in honor of the new cohort of U.S. Fulbright grantees. The meeting took place at the National Library of Romania and brought together 24 American Fulbrighters who have recently arrived in the country along with their families. More U.S. grantees will be joining us in the second semester of this academic year, bringing the group to a total of 38 American Fulbrighters.
We are grateful that after a year and a half of various restrictions, and a lot of uncertainty surrounding the current academic year, we could finally meet in person and show our support for our U.S. grantees at the beginning of their Fulbright experience in Romania.
The group of American Fulbrighters consists of scholars, student researchers, and ETAs who are teaching and/or performing research in the fields of Archaeology, Anthropology, American Studies, Human Rights, Music & Arts, Language & Poetry, Political Science, and Business at universities in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Iaşi, Brașov, Constanța, Timișoara, Craiova, Sibiu, Suceava, Oradea, Baia Mare and Galați.
On October 7, the group was officially welcomed by U.S. and Romanian officials: Mr. Timothy Gerhardson, Public Affairs Counselor at the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Bogdan Filip, General Director, Department of Interinstitutional Relations and Projects, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Remus Pricopie, President of the Commission’s Board of Directors, Dr. Adrian Cioroianu, Manager of the National Library of Romania, and Dr. Mircea Dumitru, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission. The grantees also received information on different topical subjects from U.S. Embassy experts.
In the second part of the day, Professor Adrian Cioroianu, historian, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of Romania to UNESCO, delivered a lecture on the “Romanian History – Between East and West,” followed by Professor Romiță Iucu, President of the Board of Trustees at the University of Bucharest and expert on teacher education and higher education policies, who kindly accepted to introduce the American Fulbrighters to the “Romanian Higher Education in the Intercultural Context.” Next, Fulbright alumnus Dr. Mugur Zlotea, Vice-Rector at the University of Bucharest, discussed about the “Romanian Academic Life and Culture,” while Fulbright alumna Dr. Bogdana Neamțu, professor at Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, talked about “Living in Romania, Adjusting to a New Social and Political Environment.”
On October 8, the Fulbright grantees had the occasion to talk about “The Media Landscape in Romania with a Focus on Digital News & Media Literacy” with Professor Raluca Radu, University of Bucharest, but also about the “Psychological Aspects of Studying, Working and Living Abroad” with Fulbright alumna Dr. Meda Veronica Pop. The orientation continued with a session on Fulbright logistics, tackling issues such as the financial aspects of the grants, documents needed for the residence permit, reimbursements for work-related travel, but also discussing about plans on future meetings with the group and ways to keep in touch.
For the parallel sessions, the Fulbrighters were split in two groups. The group of Fulbright Scholars and Student Researchers discussed about “Research in the Context of Romanian Higher Education” with Dr. Carmen Chifiriuc, Vice-Rector at the University of Bucharest, while the Fulbright ETAs met with their mentors from universities in Bucharest, Sibiu, Craiova, Brașov, Constanța, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Galați, and Suceava who kindly delivered a “Crash Course on Teaching Methodology in Romanian Classes.” After the parallel sessions, Dr. Chifiriuc, who is also a professor and researcher in Microbiology and Immunology, has shared valuable information on the latest research and information on Covid-19.
The second day of the orientation concluded with a presentation about the Fulbright program for Romanian citizens and the activities of the Commission’s Educational Advising Center, outlining various opportunities for future cooperation with the U.S. Fulbrighters.
The third day of the orientation included a city tour with Dr. Andrei Răzvan Voinea, Romanian Fulbright Alumnus, historian, and researcher, who kindly accepted to guide our Fulbright grantees through the lesser-known parts of Bucharest.
We would like to express our gratitude to all of our speakers and participants for their presence and contribution to the Orientation. In addition to all the presentations, lectures, and briefings, we are thrilled that the in-person orientation also served as a platform for our American grantees to get to know one another and the Commission staff.
We wish you all an amazing academic year and we are looking forward to keeping in touch during your Fulbright journey!
More photos are available on the Commission’s Facebook page.